Hi,

I've got a 61-plate 1.6 diesel Octavia. There is something flapping down from underneath the engine, towards the front and on the drivers side. It feels like some sort of insulating 'cloth'. I don't have a ramp or anything and I can't slide underneath that part of the car so I can only go by touch and I can't figure out how it should attach. Can anyone give me some advice - can I remove it, or should I attempt to fasten it back up? Is it replaceable?

The other thing is, from my googling it looks like there should really be a plastic bottom cover there, is that right? I ask because it did go to the garage recently and maybe they forgot to reattach it.

Sorry for vague-ness, it's my first post here!

Peter

 

You appear to be missing the majority of the engine shield/undertray.

Thanks MicMac.

I confess I never paid much attention to the underneath of my car but - it's unlikely to have fallen off without me noticing, right?

Maybe I never had one, or the garage forgot to put it back (they were replacing a corroded exhaust clamp, might that have been in the same area?)

What do you think?

As you can see the cover has detached from the front and abraded itself on the road until all that's left is what's sticking down in your second photo.

 

Take it back to the garage, it's unlikely they were in that area.  In any case I'm not familiar with that exact design but it certainly needs addressing.

That's the sump cover. They are like a felt type material. Should be held on to the sump with plastic clips I think.

 

There should maybe be a large plastic under tray too.

 

I see its been in getting work done? Sometimes the garages lose (bin) the covers. They lost my sump cover in the audi dealership on my A3 recently. Made them put a new one on.

 

I would push them to replace the sump cover and under tray.

 

 

Edited 27 June, 20205 yr by FatblokeVRS

Given how clean it is under there I would say that the undertray was always in place until Bodgit & Scarper got their hands on it, the disrupted airflow probably helped partially detach the sump cover but they may well have played a part in that too.

 

Without the cover the side protection plastic covers between the wheelarch & the aux drive belt & the other side will flap about in the wind and soon detach also.

 

I would get another garage to put it on a lift and expect it will be plain to see from the dirt marks that the undertray has recently been removed & not refitted.

 

The bodgers should put their hands up and replace the undertray, its fixings and also the sump cover.

Look at the paper label on that intercooler hose, no way has that been exposed to 9 years of road dirt, not even 9 days.

 

I assume a 61 reg means 2011?

J.R. - yes, it's a 2011 car.

 

Thanks all, that is really helpful. I'll try and get it sorted on Monday. Fortunately not been using my car much because of you-know-what.

Alright, I took it in today and they found my under-tray still propped up in the corner of the garage... Anyway it's all fixed up now, thank you all once again.

How did they know which one was yours?

17 minutes ago, J.R. said:

How did they know which one was yours?

They hadn't got a buyer on ebay yet!

12 hours ago, J.R. said:

How did they know which one was yours?

They just gave me a spanner and told me to help myself from the other cars in the bay.

 

I'M JOKING OF COURSE!!

@peterhull

 

We know you're joking...

 

It's secured with torx screws so a spanner wouldn't work!*

 

 

* Unless you use a 1/4" spanner and screwdriver bit secured with tape.  That's my tip for more torque/awkward screws.